Review & photos by Andrew Bansal
November 6th 2015, Saban Theatre, Beverly Hills CA: Following the release of their second full-length album ‘Hot Streak’ via Loud And Proud Records earlier in 2015, hard rock power trio The Winery Dogs have begun a touring cycle that will take them to all parts of the globe over the next year or so. They embarked on a US headline tour in October, and in its final week, arrived in California for a string of shows, including a return to the Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills last Friday November 6th. The Winery Dogs played an incredible set on this very stage a year ago, and now with two albums worth of their own material instead of one, the trio of Mike Portnoy (drums), Billy Sheehan (bass) and Richie Kotzen (guitar and vocals) were poised to reconquer Beverly Hills.
Walking onto the stage at 9:15, The Winery Dogs played a full set that lasted about 80 minutes, and presented an excellent assortment of tunes from both albums along with bass and drum solos, in a manner that perfectly encapsulated every aspect of The Winery Dogs and gave the audience a true representation of everything this band is about. On the surface, they boast of melodic clean lead vocals by Richie Kotzen and vocal harmonies resulting from the strong backing vocal contributions by Sheehan and Portnoy, which deem them accessible to audiences of all kinds. But delving further into their musicality, it’s clear that there is no shortage of shred and sparkle in the instrumental layers that constitute The Winery Dogs’ music, and it is this balance and combination that makes them as enjoyable for a mainstream audience as it does for hard rock/heavy metal fans. This striking feature of the band was all the more evident on this occasion than it was last year, as the new tunes have expanded their musical boundaries to a great degree.
Coming from someone that despises musicians taking center stage and playing solos for any length of time, it has to be said that Sheehan and Portnoy are, without doubt, exceptions to the norm and stand far above most other musicians that indulge in solos as part of their live performance. Songs should be written about Sheehan’s bass wizardry, as he surely is the most entertaining bass player to watch, and as for Portnoy, he has truly come up with a unique drum solo that’s all of his own, wherein he makes the entire stage his drumkit. He even brought out the Hello Kitty mini-drum set for this solo and the crowd loved every moment of it. This was certainly not the kind of solo that would make you leave your seat and head to the bar or restroom. Portnoy was full of energy throughout the set but his drumming in general comes across as very smooth and effortless, and his exploits are far more noticable when watching him play in The Winery Dogs’ power trio setup than it is in other bands where the view is usually obstructed by a singer.
Meanwhile, vocalist/guitarist Richie Kotzen was fully keeping up with his band mates, decorating the set with a flurry of guitar solos, but specially on vocals, he proved himself a real-deal musician who can be appreciated by music lovers across the board, not just rock fans. The ballad ‘Fire’ off of ‘Hot Streak’ was his shining moment, and he followed it up by taking the piano, which is an element The Winery Dogs have incorporated into the live show only recently, with the influx of the new material. Kotzen did a short solo bit on the piano and was then joined by the rest of the band as he continued playing it. The Winery Dogs closed the show with an encore performance of the song ‘Desire’, which included a crowd singalong, and took quite a journey as it went into a jam. Portnoy lifted up his stool and bounced it off the cymbals onto the stage, signaling the end of the show.
The Winery Dogs are a unique band in the sense that they aren’t everybody’s cup of tea but at the same time they are, and the sizable turnout here at Saban Theatre thoroughly enjoyed what they brought to this stage. Portnoy, Sheehan and Kotzen took a collective bow and exited the stage amidst generous applause. The Saban has proved to be the ideal venue for this band twice now, and locals hope The Winery Dogs make visits here on an annual basis. This was, by all means, a rock show-and-a-half.
Related: In-depth Interview With Mike Portnoy
Photos:
Set List:
01. Oblivion
02. Captain Love
03. We Are One
04. Hot Streak
05. How Long
06. Time Machine
07. Empire
08. Fire
09. Think it Over
10. Drum Solo
11. Ghost Town
12. Bass Solo
13. The Other Side
14. I’m No Angel
15. Not Hopeless
16. Elevate
Encore:
17. Regret
18. Desire
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